Megan Gale and Shaun Hampson close their restaurant after it was destroyed by fire
Megan Gale and partner Shaun Hampson’s trendy restaurant is destroyed by fire – just months after it was ransacked by burglars
Supermodel Megan Gale and her AFL star partner Shaun Hampson have been forced to close their Victorian restaurant Ascot Food + Wine indefinitely after it was damaged by a major fire this week.
Fire Victoria crews were called to the site around 4:50pm Tuesday afternoon after a fire broke out in the kitchen.
The fire brigade had the fire under control within minutes, the emergency services have confirmed the fire The site was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
Hampson announced on Tuesday afternoon that his restaurant was no longer in business, writing to Instagram, “Following a serious fire, @ascotfoodandwine will sadly be closed until further notice.”
Apologies to anyone who had bookings. We will inform you when we know more. Thank you for your continued support.’
Supermodel Megan Gale and her AFL star partner Shaun Hampson (both pictured) have been forced to close their Victorian restaurant Ascot Food + Wine indefinitely after it was damaged by a major fire this week
The restaurant’s Instagram account, meanwhile, uploaded a photo of fire engines parked outside on the street, with the message: “It is with a heavy heart that we would like to inform everyone that we will be closed until further notice.”
“Everyone is safe and kudos to those who came to our rescue,” they added.
The inferno came just months after Gale and Hampson’s restaurant was targeted by thieves in February.
Victoria fire crews were called to the site around 4.50pm Tuesday afternoon (pictured) after a fire broke out in the kitchen
The perpetrators broke into the eatery and stole approximately $10-15,000 in liquor and $4,000 in cash, leaving the office space in disarray.
The tip jar was also stolen.
“Hospitality is challenging enough and to get broken into it wasn’t so much what was done as the inconvenience it caused,” Hampson told the Announce sun at the time.
Hampson announced on Tuesday afternoon that his restaurant was no longer in business, writing to Instagram: ‘Following a serious fire, @ascotfoodandwine will sadly be closed until further notice’
“We’re already understaffed and all of a sudden you’ve got an office that’s upside down… it’s being kicked when the industry is already down.”
Chef and co-owner Dave Stewart, meanwhile, told the publication he felt “violated” by the looting.
Just two years earlier, the restaurant had been forced to close for two and a half months due to restrictions placed on restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gale and Hampson opened the cafe with Chef Stewart in December 2017.
The inferno came just months after Gale and Hampson’s restaurant was targeted by thieves in February